Videos capture various angles of massive Beirut explosion as mushroom cloud fills sky

A massive explosion rocked the capital of Lebanon on Tuesday and several people captured video of the horrific scene.

The Beirut health minister said there were at least 50 people killed and more than 2,700 injured, according to the Associated Press. Hospitals are reportedly “overwhelmed by casualties,” according to BBC.

The Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter it is receiving thousands of calls on its phone line for “critical and severe” cases.

Lebanon General Director of Security Abbas Ibrahim refuted reports the explosion was caused by fireworks. He said “the explosion happened in a warehouse with highly explosive material that was confiscated years ago,” according to a Politico reporter.

The Associated Press reported that miles away from the scene, windows were shattered and ceilings collapsed.

Videos show a smokey scene and then a blast fill the sky with a mushroom cloud.

One witness told AFP the explosion “felt like an earthquake,” according to CBS News.

“It was like a nuclear explosion,” Walid Abdo told the AP.

Residents told an NPR reporter that “almost every building looked damaged by the explosion.”

Beirut City Governor Marwan Aboud compared the national disaster to that of the Hiroshima bombing in 1945, according to The Telegraph.

“Beirut is a disaster city and the scale of the damage is enormous,” he added.

More videos showed the aftermath after the blast rocked Beirut.

This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 1:51 PM.